Essential Guides & Advice Healthcare in Spain

Date Published:

27/02/2009

If you are thinking about moving to Spain and are concerned about how to access the Spanish health system, find out more with our guide to healthcare in Spain.

If you are or are going to be working in Spain then you will pay Social Insurance which will be deducted from your salary and contribute to the Spanish Social Insurance Scheme. This means you will receive a social insurance card. The card shows your personal information and your affiliation number – which is important as it means you can then apply for your personal health card at the Health Centre closest to wherever you move to in Spain. Your health card will entitle you to free medical and hospital care for you and dependent family members. In addition, the Spanish Healthcare System will pay 60 per cent of the pharmaceutical costs of any medicines prescribed by a Doctor. You will only need to cover the costs of the remaining 40 per cent.

If you qualify as a UK state pensioner and will therefore not be working (this includes people who receive long-term incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance, retirement pension and widow’s benefit or bereavement benefit), then you and any dependent family members should usually be eligible to receive health care cover from the UK to cover the costs in Spain. Even if you are not a UK state pensioner you may be eligible to receive some entitlement depending on your National Insuarance contributions during the two years prior to your departure from the UK. Also, if you are not going to be working, it is advisable to acquire private health insurance cover before coming to live in Spain.

To become eligible in Spain as a UK state pensioner you need to obtain an E121 form for both yourself and any dependent family members. To do this you need to register with your nearest Instituto de Seguridad Social in Spain and you must have also registered as a resident at your local town hall (Ayuntamiento). They will keep a copy of your registration documents and then send a duplicate copy to the Department of Work and Pensions in the UK.

Once you have been issued with your health card, you will be able to receive any health care required. It is always a good idea to get private health insurance whilst your application is in process as it is not guaranteed that any claims will be backdated.

It is good to know that there are two and a half times as many Doctors per patient in Spain than in the UK.

The UK does in fact transfer a monthly sum in the region of £150 to Spain for every UK pensioner who is legally resident in Spain. And yet it is interesting to note that according to research by Spain’s Ministry of Health, some three quarters of Brits have not applied for a residence card. Perhaps this is partly due to Brits foreseeing potential language difficulties. But don’t worry – although the process might seem a little complicated and daunting there is literally ‘Help’ at hand...

A 30 year old organisation called ‘Help’ has been operating in Spain from Murcia right up to Gandia – providing all kinds of information and advice as to the medical system in Spain including translations. Each ‘Help’ faction functions separately according to the need of its area. For example ‘Help’ in Denia focuses mainly on helping the hospital where the organisation runs a charity shop and translation services. There is no payment policy – but donations are gratefully received. It is run entirely by volunteers and is aimed towards providing a service for ex-pats who don’t speak Spanish. Its factions include, but are not exclusive to, Javea, Moraira, Benitachell, Calpe, Benidorm and Torrevieja.

Unfortunately ‘Help’ does not have a website, but there is a Care and Welfare Guide regularly distributed via the Costa Blanca News, in which ‘Help’ features.

Useful links

www.fco.gov.uk
www.britishembassy.gov.uk
For a full list of ‘Help’ factions, contact the Costa Blanca News at: Info@cbnews.es
www.costablancanews.es

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